Retalix CEO Wants to Grow

Barry Sheked believes keen competition can only help the software company.

Retalix ( RTLX), an Israel-based maker of checkout software for grocery stores and gas stations, is pushing into the U.S.

After several stateside acquisitions, Retalix says it sells so-called point-of-sale applications to two-thirds of the top 50 U.S. grocery chains and to 74% of the top 50 grocery wholesalers. That means that Retalix is in more than 16,000 grocery stores across the U.S. and 42,000 worldwide.

Yet Wall Street has yet to notice the company. Just 23,000 shares trade daily, and the company's market capitalization is just $380 million at recent prices. On Tuesday, the company is due to post fourth-quarter earnings. Analysts expect a 19-cent-a-share profit on sales of $55 million, though only two firms cover the stock.

CEO Barry Shaked recently spoke with TheStreet.com about his company's plans and the markets it sells into.

TSC: What is Retalix's niche and how big is this market?

Shaked: We operate in the retail and distribution market with a specific focus on grocery stores, convenience stores and fuel stations. We sell point-of-sale solutions as an alternative to aging legacy systems currently used by most of America's food retailers.

We also provide end-to-end enterprise solutions that cover the operational, business intelligence, supply chain management and customer loyalty aspects for retailers and distributors. We have a broad customer base that ranges from large retail chains such as Kroger ( KR) and Costco ( COST) to local independent stores.